In all fairness to News Ltd, you should acknowledge that The Weekend Australian removed itself from the pack a week ago by tip-toeing ever so gingerly around the Corby family’s own past and present drug, jail and alcohol problems in this fascinating read. Similarly, The SMH last Thursday published this excellent piece on Ron Bakir by reporter Colin Kruger which buried the following aside right at the bottom:

His own brother is presently facing charges in Southport magistrates court involving extortion, possession of dangerous drugs, wilful damage, entering premises with intent to commit an indictable offense and assault.

The “join-the-dots” implications of Kruger’s piece were interesting, but have gone completely unnoticed in all the hysteria. Put those two pieces together and it sounds like there might be a story out there folks. Which members of the free press will go and find it rather than fan our xenophobia?

CRIKEY: Derryn Hinch, albeit a shock jock with much-reduced credibility, was tip-toeing towards a certain theory yesterday when he said: “I think I know who put the drugs in the bag.” Is anyone game to go a bit further? Who would have had access to that boogie board bag?

60 Minutes can’t claim to have much credibility left after continuing to pull out the cheque book to secure the exclusive role of taxi driver for the family as they travelled to and from Friday’s sentencing. Sunday night’s piece was particularly ordinary as this dysfunctional family (dad has six drink drive charges and a drug conviction to his name) was interviewed immediately after the sentencing. They just shouldn’t have been exposed to such questioning when traumatised.

Even Piers Akerman was bagging the Packer network on the Nine-controlled Sky News last night when he declared that it had “inflamed the situation” with emotive and one-sided coverage. The Daily Telegraph has probably been the worst of the Murdoch papers, but Akerman claimed its reports had more depth and analysis than Nine’s shallow and one-sided TV grabs.